By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles
LAKE CHARLES — Something Bishop Glen John Provost enjoys most about visiting Catholic schools are the students. On January 31, 2024, many students in the Diocese of Lake Charles had the chance to visit him in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a special Mass to celebrate the 50th year of National Catholic Schools Week.
Seniors from St. Louis Catholic High School and eighth-grade students from the other five Catholic schools in the Diocese gathered to celebrate the gift of their faith-based learning. The Mass coincided with the Memorial of St. John Bosco, a champion for the education of Catholic youth.
following the annual Catholic Schools
Week Mass on January 31 in the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
“It is no accident that the Church in the United States proclaims this Catholic Schools Week,” Bishop Provost said, noting that a few days prior (January 28) was the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, the patron of Catholic education.
“The Catholic Church has always been dedicated to education,” the bishop remarked, turning his thoughts to John Henry Cardinal Newman, one of the great Catholic minds of the last 500 years in the Church’s history.
“Now canonized, Cardinal Newman knew there was no true education without first addressing the education of the youngest,” Bishop Provost said in his homily.
“Laying a solid foundation in the faith and the hearts and minds of young students and building up a fertile field in which to plant the strongest of seed to yield the most creative of harvest is the challenge of Catholic education today,” the bishop continued.
There are 2,301 of those young students enrolled in Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Lake Charles.
Acknowledging the strong faith of people in Southwest Louisiana despite the 2020 hurricanes, Bishop Provost noted that the survival of Catholic schools will always depend on the faith of the Catholic people to sustain them.
St. Louis Catholic High School, accepts the gifts of
bread and wine during the offertory at the annual
Catholic Schools Week Mass in the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception on January 31.
He added that it must be our prayer and true effort to not merely keep our Catholic schools open but to make them the best possible.
“This will only happen,” the bishop said, “if we take up, uncompromisingly, the mantle of Catholicism and pass it on to our young. We are not a school in search of identity. We have an identity. We just need to encourage it and bring it to the fore.”
Following Mass, Bishop Provost interacted with the students by inviting them to ask questions, expressing that he likes to know what is on their minds.
- They learned that he enjoys playing the piano and reading books, with as many as 3,000 in his personal library.
- A favorite memory of his own Catholic education are the teachers who challenged him.
- He didn’t hesitate to answer, “Christmas emotionally,” when asked what his favorite liturgical season is.
- Before going to sleep, he says “good night” to St. Michael the Archangel, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross, to name a few.
Bishop Provost listens to a student ask him a question
following the Catholic Schools Week Mass. As is custom
every year, the bishop interacts with the students
by inviting questions. - One of his favorite Bible verses — emphasizing it is hard to choose just one — comes from the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
- Most unique church he has seen: the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain because it is like a Gothic church.
- He is fluent in French, English, and Italian, and has studied Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, and Latin.
When asked for advice on how to resist temptation, he responded, “Prayer is important. You must have courage to resist temptation. With God’s help, you can develop habits to choose good over evil.”
At the request of a student, the Q&A session ended with Bishop Provost praying the Hail Mary in French.
Concelebrants for the Mass were:
• Very Rev. Ruben Buller, V.G., Pastor of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
• Very Rev. Keith Pellerin, V.F., Pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Jennings
• Rev. Andrew DeRouen, Parochial Vicar of St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church and Chaplain of St. Louis Catholic High School
Deacon Stephen Starr assisted the bishop, and Rev. Samuel Bond served as master of ceremonies.
Always a favorite for the prayerful occasion, music was provided by the Saint Louis Catholic High School Choir, directed by Colette Tanner.
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lake Charles — all accredited by Cognia — are St. Louis Catholic High School, Immaculate Conception Cathedral School, St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic School, and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School, all in Lake Charles; Our Lady’s Catholic School in Sulphur; and Our Lady Immaculate Catholic School in Jennings.
Bishop Glen John Provost addresses students, faculty and parents during the annual Catholic Schools Week Mass on January 31, 2024, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Priests joining him for the special occasion in its 50th year are Father Keith Pellerin, Father Ruben Buller, and Father Andrew DeRouen.
